Bob Zaspel, regional supervisor for the Green Bay office of the state's Consumer Protection Division, said the Green Bay Packers' success this season has increased ticket scams, leaving some people in a lurch.

"Most of the victims are from out of state," Zaspel said.

"People in Green Bay are pretty wise, and they have access to tickets. But some online businesses take ticket orders months in advance when they don't actually have the tickets. ... But when a season goes in this direction, the businesses can't purchase tickets for less than what they promised to sell them for."

What happens next is dishonest, Zaspel said.

"The scam artists notify potential buyers that their credit card has had fraudulent activity or their checking account has been compromised and the order can't be honored," he said."It's totally bogus."

Aaron Popkey, manager of corporate communications for the Packers, said some online businesses attempt to use images of Lambeau Field or other Packers symbols to draw people to their Web site.

There have been some counterfeit tickets showing up at Packers games, Popkey said.

Thirteen counterfeit tickets were confiscated for the Nov. 11 Minnesota Vikings game, and five were discovered at the Nov. 18 Carolina Panthers game, he said.

One way to determine if a ticket is legitimate is to check for the word "Packers" that is on the back of every ticket in a special white ink that can't be duplicated by forgers, he said.

For information about ticket scams, call the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection hotline at (800) 422-7128.